


Cormoran Strike: T or A? An Analysis

by DevineMandate



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 04:55:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26347474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevineMandate/pseuds/DevineMandate
Summary: The author has some fun examining which body parts are the focus of Strike's sexual feelings...
Comments: 32
Kudos: 24





	1. The Cuckoo's Calling

Good day! You ever sit around wondering if Cormoran Strike favors tits or arse? Oh, no? Well, you can take your judgment elsewhere!

For those who have stayed, I‘m compiling every mention that I see (no guarantees of 100% coverage...I’m kinda skimming the mystery parts and just seriously reading the romance parts--please inform me of anything I missed!) of Strike thinking about a woman’s body in any sexual way at all. A number of allusions to or direct naming of body parts, etc. are non-sexual in nature. For instance, the Robin/Strike introductory boob wrench and tussle is not counted here, nor is a mention in CC of a painting of a barmaid with “enormous breasts” that are “draped in white”. Here’s a legend of the entries below:

R(!) = Strike is lustful/thinks about Robin’s arse  
R(.)(.) = Strike is lustful/thinks about Robin’s boobs  
R(?) = Strike is lustful/thinks about another part of Robin’s body, or her body in general  
C(!) = Charlotte’s arse  
C(.)(.) = Charlotte’s boobs  
C(?) = Charlotte’s body

And so forth with CP (Ciara), N (Nina), E (Elin), L (Lorelei), and O (other) rounding out the legend above.

All page numbers refer to American editions (CC paperback, all others hardback).

I’ll be adding each book as its own chapter going forward (not sure if I’ll do TB…).

Want the final tally for this book? Skip to the end of this “chapter”!

Want to see each piece of evidence in all its grisly detail? Read on. For science!

R(.)(.) Part 1, Ch. 3, p. 19: “She had taken off her coat to reveal a snugly, even seductively fitting cream sweater _[ed.: jumper in UK?]_. Strike addressed her hairline.” _[ed.: I think JKR did a nice job here in terms of writing a man…”addressed her hairline” perfectly encapsulates the situation when encountered, trying not to be a boor…]_

O(.)(.) Part 2, Ch. 11, p. 142 (Tansy Bestigui): “The unbuttoned neck of her thin silk shirt revealed an expanse of butterscotch skin stretched over her bony sternum, giving an unattractively knobbly effect; yet two full, firm breasts jutted from her narrow ribcage, as though they had been borrowed for the day from a fuller-figured friend.”

R(?) Part 3, Ch. 4, p. 187: “His only comment on the green dress was 'Yeah.' He had barely looked at her.” _[ed.: I think you can argue this is boobs, but we’ll go with the generalized in fairness.]_

R(?) Part 3, Ch. 5, p. 192: “...and now, in the sun-dappled greenery, his mind drifted, lingering on the memory of Robin as she had looked in the clinging green dress.”

R(!) Part 3, Ch. 5, pp. 192-193: “...but, having normal sight and an unimpaired libido, he was also reminded every day she bent over the computer monitor that she was a very sexy girl.”

R(?) Part 3, Ch. 5, p. 193: “That fact had never been so crudely presented to him as when she walked out of the changing room in the clinging green dress, and in consequence he had literally averted his eyes.” _[ed.: Again, I mean, come on, this is boobs, right? I know where I would avoid looking if I saw my colleague in a clinging dress.]_

R(?) Part 3, Ch 5, p. 193: “It was safest all round not to let the burgeoning friendship become too warm; best not to admire openly the sight of her figure draped in jersey.”

C(.)(.) Part 3, Ch. 7, p. 218: “She looked up at him when he reached her, with big eyes, and long dark hair, and soft pale cleavage, revealed by the gaping shirt.”

R(?) Part 3, Ch. 9, p. 238: “There were other routes to intimacy than admiring a woman’s figure in a tight dress.” _[ed.: Maybe this one is a little less sexually charged…still counting it.]_

_[ed.: the mention of Lula’s nipple in the picture with Ciara mentioned on p. 251 seems non-sexual to me, but intelligent minds may disagree.]_

_[ed.: ominous given the title of the fifth book, p. 267: “Strike, however, knew Charlotte as intimately as a germ that had lingered in his blood for fifteen years…”]_

C(?) Part 4, ch. 2, p. 267: “...he saw her at close quarters, beautiful, naked, breathing words of love…”

O(!) Part 4, ch. 3, p. 275 (Lechsinka, the cleaner in Lula’s building): “...Lechsinka then ascended the stairs, her bucket swinging, her tightly bejeaned backside swelling and swaying seductively. Strike, conscious of Robin’s sideways glance, withdrew his gaze from it reluctantly.”

O(!) Part 4, ch. 3, p. 281 (Lechsinka): “Strike thanked her very much, and lingered just long enough to admire once more her tightly denimed backside as she straightened the duvet, before rejoining Robin and Wilson in the hall.”

_[ed.: JKR really has it in for fat women. p. 289]_

O(?) Part 4, ch. 6, p. 311 (the other models who aren’t Ciara): “They were a breed apart, with faces and bodies in rare proportions that fell precisely between the categories of strange and impressive. Fine-boned and recklessly slim, they had been chosen, Strike assumed, for the dramatic contrast in their coloring and features. Sitting like Christine Keeler on a back-to-front chair, long legs splayed in spray-on white leggings, but apparently naked from the waist up, was a black girl as dark-skinned as Somé himself, with an Afro and slanting, seductive eyes. Standing over her in a white vest decorated in chains, which just covered her pubis, was a Eurasian beauty with flat black hair cut into an asymmetric fringe.” 

CP(.)(.) Part 4, ch. 6, p. 311: “To one side, leaning alone and sideways on the back of another chair, was Ciara Porter; alabaster fair, with long baby-blonde hair, wearing a white semitransparent jumpsuit through which her pale, pointed nipples were clearly visible.” 

CP(?) Part 4, ch. 7, p. 318: “Ciara was still wearing the stiff silver minidress in which she had posed for the last pictures...she stretched out her endless legs…” 

CP(?) Part 4, ch.7, p. 319: “She threw back her long white hair, rearranged her coltish legs…” 

_[ed.: the reference on this page to adjusting her long legs under herself feels more neutral to me…]_

CP(?) Part 4, ch 7, p. 322: “And suddenly, tears were sparkling in Ciara’s kohled eyes, and she squashed them out of sight with the flat palms of her pretty white hands.” 

CP(?) Part 4, ch. 8, p. 327: “Her dress had ridden up to the very top of her long legs. Strike could not be absolutely certain that she was wearing anything underneath it.” 

CP(.)(.) Part 4, ch. 8, p. 327: “She had certainly been braless in the white jumpsuit.” 

CP(?) Part 4, ch. 8, p. 329: “...his hand closed instinctively around Ciara Porter’s slender upper arm…” 

CP(?) Part 4, ch. 8, p. 329: “‘C’mon,’ said Ciara, and she slipped a soft, long-fingered hand inside his and tugged him along behind her.” 

O(?) Part 4, ch. 8, p. 332 (the “sexy brunette” chatting up Evan Duffield in the club): “...looked pointedly in the direction of the voluptuous brunette…” 

CP(.)(.) Part 4, ch. 8, p. 332: “The silver material of her dress was so stiff that it gaped, like armor, away from her body, affording him an unhampered view of small white breasts and pointed shell-pink nipples.” 

_[ed.: ignoring mention of woman who pulls up top and begs Duffield to sign her breasts.]_

_[ed.: another “long legs” for Ciara near the end of the Duffield interview, but pretty neutral, getting them under her.]_

CP(?) Part 4, ch. 8, p. 351: “...slumping sideways into his shoulder, nudging him. Lithe and slight, she continued to rest against him…” 

_[ed.: For no reason other than the pleasure it gave me, I’ll note that Robin is charmingly possessive of Strike in chapter 9, thinking about Charlotte with agitation, thinking of it as “their business”...LOL on 354: “She was instantly confirmed in her view that he had attempted a reconciliation with Charlotte; by the looks of it, successfully. The next two sentences were pockmarked with typos.” LOLOLOLOL, “pockmarked with typos”!]_

CP(?) Part 4, ch. 9, p.362: “Ciara looked stunning; for half a second Strike was transported back to half past two that morning, when she had lain, white and naked, beneath him, that long silky hair spread on the pillow like a mermaid’s as she whispered and moaned.” 

CP(?) Part 4, ch. 11, p. 375: “Ciara Porter’s messy, girlish flat, her wide, groaning mouth, the long white legs wrapped tightly around his back, belonged to a life lived long ago.” 

_[ed.: There’s also a reference on nearly the last page to Matthew probably not liking Strike giving her the dress, knowing he’d seen her in it. A bit oblique, says I.]_

Tallies! 

CP(?): 9  
R(?): 5 (I think a couple of these are fairly obviously references to boobs, but whatever.)  
CP(.)(.): 3  
O(!): 2  
O(?): 2  
O(.)(.): 1  
R(.)(.): 1  
R(!): 1  
C(.)(.): 1  
C(?): 1 (I feel like I’m missing at least one other reference to Charlotte’s body…) 

By woman:

CP: 12  
R: 7  
O: 5  
C: 2

By body part: 

(?): 17 (again, I feel like a couple of these are boobs)  
(.)(.): 6  
(!): 3 

Again, please let me know of anything I missed and I’ll happily add to the tally! See you next time for The Silkworm! 


	2. The Silkworm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it wasn't obvious, *SPOILERS* present, including whodunnit in both books so far mentioned in this "chapter". Also, please forgive for the copious editor's notes.

R(?) Ch. 4, p. 18: “His assistant--tall, curvaceous, with a clear, brilliant complexion and bright blue-gray eyes--scrutinized him over her coffee cup.”

R(?) Ch. 5, p. 24: “...nor, having normal eyesight, could he escape the fact that she was a very good-looking woman.”

_[ed.: Ah, Strike, a real charmer in his own head, p. 42: “...Strike experienced a sudden, crazy urge to call his divorcing brunet client--who had made it quite clear that she would welcome such a development--with a view to screwing her tonight in what he imagined would be her deep, soft, heavily perfumed bed in Knightsbridge.” Admittedly he doesn’t do it or think it’s a good idea...]_

_[ed.: I don’t think the mention on p. 57 of Miss Brocklehurst “presumably almost hairless from the neck down” feels very sexual. More jocular.]_

O(?) Ch.9, p. 60 (Kathryn Kent): “...the impression she gave from this distance, regularly tossing back her thick curls, was not unattractive; her windblown hair was eye-catching and her legs beneath the loose overcoat were slender.”

_[ed.: debated this one and left it off--Ch.9, p. 60 (Kathryn Kent): “As she drew nearer, the straining buttons on the coat betrayed a heavy, apple-shaped torso.” I think “apple-shaped” is meant to be derogatory? But “straining buttons” and “heavy” can have positive connotations here too when associated with the female torso. Not sure, would be nice to hear what other folks think. Edited to add: Yllyn clarified in comments that apple-shaped means bigger around the middle/tummy/belly, much obliged!]_

_[ed.: poor Nina, she really is the short shrift romantic interest. The best Strike has to say/think about her on p. 84 is that she’s “a pale, petite girl whose dominant feature was a pair of large brown eyes.” Her next real description is “She looked, Strike thought, like an alert and excited mouse.” Later on p. 90: “She barely came up to his shoulder, and Strike had never found very small women attractive.”_

_Did you know “Nina Lascelles” is not even a tag on AO3? True story. Poor Nina.]_

O(?) Ch. 13, p. 91 (Joanna Waldegrave): “...as he talked to a curvaceous young woman in a tight black dress.” _[ed.: yes, that’s right, folks, Strike thinks about another woman’s body with mild lust before he ever does so with Nina, a woman he will sleep with in a few pages for the sake of breaking a cold streak, in nearly so many words, p. 90: “...a night or two of consolation.”]_

O(?) Ch. 13, p. 99 (Joanna Waldegrave): “The curvaceous Joanna Waldegrave appeared…”

N(?) Ch. 15, p. 105: “Beneath yesterday evening’s warm woolen coat she was wearing a clinging, strappy black dress, of which Strike had had an excellent view when she had invited him into her St. John’s Wood flat…” _[ed.: At last, a LITTLE warmth for Nina.]_

_[ed.: JKR really has it in for fat women. p. 107]_

_[ed.: no significant mention of her body, but Nina is “enthusiastic and energetic in bed…”, p. 113]_

C(?) Ch. 16, p. 114: “He remembered her long black hair, wide hazel-green eyes, a body the like of which he would never see again, never be permitted to touch…”

_[ed.: p. 115: “He told her that he would call her, but briskly, so that she might understand these to be empty words, a matter of form, and left her house with a feeling of faint gratitude, but no guilt.”_

_...what an asshole. Strike is such a dick about women in this book. Well, books 2-4 at least, really. Has some serious growing up to do before he’s worthy of Robin, IMO._

_And then there’s this, p. 142:_

_”Strike started and looked up. Robin was standing there in her trench coat, her face pink, long red-gold hair loose, tousled and gilded in the early sunlight streaming through the window. Just then, Strike found her beautiful.”_

_Yeah.]_

R(?): Ch. 22, p. 168: “Strike did not think she needed to lose any weight at all, but said nothing as she took a piece.” 

_[ed.: So cute and so stupid with each other in Ch. 22. :’( ]_

_[ed.: Here’s Charlotte in that troubled blood of Cormoran’s again, p. 183: “...but he had come to see her like a virus in his blood that he doubted he would ever eradicate…”]_

C(?): Ch. 24, p. 193: “The strap line ran across Charlotte’s swanlike neck.” 

C(?): Ch. 24, p. 193: “...Charlotte sitting on an ancient four-poster, laughing with her head thrown back, the white column of her neck rising from a sheer cream blouse…” 

_[ed.: Ch. 30, p. 265 is the start of the first conversation I can remember encountering where they really talk to each other without holding anything back or hiding a piece of themselves. Said it before: the two worst communicators of all time.]_

_[ed.: fuck, I’m crying on p. 274 where he steers her verbally to the train to get to Matt’s mum’s funeral. Damn it, you’re really good at this job, JKR.]_

_[ed.: ah, found something different than I thought I remembered. Linda Ellacott is described as “ample”, so that’s one more fat woman who’s good in JKR’s universe besides Molly Weasley. Both bright-headed matriarchs of fairly large families (perhaps a bit more of an acceptable excuse for weight gain in JKR's mind, multiple pregnancies): 4 and 7 kids respectively.]_

_[ed.: description of Nina, p. 292: “...Strike guessed that she was trying to assess how much his presence was due to a desire to pick her brains, how much designs on her slim, boyish body.” Poor Nina.]_

_[ed.: Miss Brocklehurst’s “cosmetically enhanced breasts” and one of them being “cupped” on p. 335 are pretty non-sexual, derisive even. Also we have now officially reached the longest gap in the Strike books thus far between Strike having any body-driven sexual thoughts; the last was Charlotte on p. 193. The previous record-holding gap was the 123-page one between Robin’s boobs (19) and Tansy Bestigui’s boobs in the first third of CC (142). Also on p. 336 we have Miss Brocklehurst “wearing less than two ounces of fabric”, but again, jocular I think.]_

_[ed.: It’s not exactly a surprise that JKR’s only female murderer so far has a deep and rough voice that Robin mistakes for a man’s (p.343). She is also elsewhere described as square-jawed. Character failings for women it seems, a stereotypically male voice and bone structure. Pippa a few scenes ago too, of course.]_

C(?) Ch. 41, pg. 369: “He could imagine her naked in front of the mirror…” _[ed.: 176 pages between body-related sexual thoughts, both Charlotte.]_

_[ed.: on p. 372, Strike wonders “Where was the couple that saw each other clearly?”, as he’s thinking about shitty couples: him/Charlotte, Robin/Matthew, Lucy/Greg, Leonora/Owen. All I can think is: “The answer is clearly Nick and Ilsa, dumbass.”]_

_[ed.: p. 386: ‘“Your hair,” he said._

_“What’s wrong with it?” said Robin, raising her hand self-consciously._

_“It’s memorable,” said Strike. “Haven’t got a hat, have you?”_

_“I--I could buy one,” said Robin, feeling oddly flustered.’_

_HAHAHAHAHAHA! Between this and Robin appreciating Strike’s upper body strength earlier as he hauls himself into the car before the trip to Devon…]_

R(?) Ch. 45, pp. 405-406: “He did not like to be explicit about how recognizable he thought her, even with her red-gold hair piled under a beanie hat. She was very good-looking.” 

_[ed.: upon reading (well, mostly reading) both of the first two books back to back in fairly short order, I have to say a few things to JKR about styling (not that I can talk--if someone else does something “tender” or “tenderly” in one of my stories going forward, I should punch myself in the face)._

_1) You shouldn’t have Strike say “It’s been obvious to me from the start...” to Bristow in CC during the reveal, and then “I thought from the start...” to Tassel in The Silkworm during the reveal._

_2) You shouldn’t have “‘Nice,’ said Strike, appreciatively.” as a response to one of Bristow’s insults during the reveal in CC, and “‘Nice,’ said Strike appreciatively.” as a response to one of Tassel’s insults during the reveal in The Silkworm._

_3) Cars are always pulling “smoothly” away from the curb (kerb) or into traffic. This definitely happens at least once in LW (after Robin reveals to Strike that she and Matthew have split up, going from memory), and I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t happen at some point during CoE. Pick another adverb, JKR._

_Now it’s time to officially note that not a single reference, not even an oblique one, has been made to tits or arse being attractive to Strike in this book. Which is crazy after nine times (eleven, if you count the couple I think should really be R(.)(.) instead of R(?)) in CC, but facts are facts. Always happy to hear if I missed anything!]_

Tallies!

This is both in general and by woman for The Silkworm:

R(?): 4  
C(?): 4  
O(?): 3  
N(?): 1 (poor Nina!)

By body part:

(?) = 12 (There were 26 total instances of lust at a woman’s body in CC, more than double The Silkworm! The difference is accounted for almost entirely by Strike’s interest in Ciara Porter and disinterest in Nina).

Across both books so far!

CP(?): 9  
R(?): 9 (I think a couple of these are fairly obviously references to boobs, but whatever.)  
C(?): 5  
O(?): 5  
CP(.)(.): 3  
O(!): 2  
O(.)(.): 1  
R(.)(.): 1  
R(!): 1  
C(.)(.): 1  
N(?): 1

By woman:

CP: 12  
R: 11 (hasn’t quite caught Ciara yet! but then Strike actually slept with Ciara, didn't he?...not to mention Strike still trying to stave off the inevitable by not thinking about Robin)  
O: 8  
C: 6  
N: 1

By body part (after I’ve finished, I may break the (?) category down into individualized body parts--Ciara’s legs will have a good showing, that’s for sure):

(?): 29 (again, I feel like a couple of these are boobs)  
(.)(.): 6  
(!): 3

See you next time for the escalating tension and shipping angst of CoE!


	3. Career of Evil

_[ed.: p.13, Cormoran jealous of Wardle’s “unnecessarily charming smile”, haha, and of course Wardle can’t resist an eye flick over Robin’s figure.]_

R(?): Ch. 4, p. 23: “Nevertheless, he thought she was becoming too thin. In his opinion (and even the thought fell outside those same boundaries), she looked better curvier.”

_[ed.: poor Cormoran, having to think about his naked mom on pp. 28-29.]_

_[ed.: Robin’s breasts stared at by creep, p. 32...I think Crowdy (on Robin’s first day in CC) is the only other person that’s been specifically mentioned as doing that, though guys are constantly checking her out.]_

O(.)(.): Ch. 12, p. 72 (Platinum, a woman they’re paid by Two-Times to follow): “Many men might think it a pleasant interlude to receive cash for following a pneumatic blonde around London…” _[ed.: BOOM! A T/A reference for the first time since p. 332 of CC (Ciara’s boobs). Confession: I did not know pneumatic could refer to a woman being large-breasted until just now. I just thought about air pressure and drills and whatnot.]_

_[ed.: April Wardle attractive to Strike on p. 77, Coco (described as petite) on p. 78, waiting in the wings to assist with breaking Robin’s heart near the start of LW.]_

E(?): Ch. 14, p. 93: “The memory of certain erotic sights and sounds--her alabaster skin faintly damp under his mouth, her pale lips wide in a moan--added savor to the tang of nicotine.”

_[ed.: Strike remembers Elin and himself having “the best sex of their brief relationship” the previous night on p. 172, but no specific physical memories/description.]_

_[ed.: in response to Strike’s first “Course he does”, (which yeah, squeeeeee!) Robin thinks “She thought it might be the very first time that Strike had ever given any indication that he saw her as a woman…” on p. 178. Me: “What was the green bloody dress or the kiss on the hand, then?”]_

_[ed.: Strike thinks unflatteringly of the small/young Thai masseuse/hooker on p. 222: “She had the body of an adolescent boy except for the clearly fake breasts…”]_

_[ed.: I considered counting the following as R(?) p. 224--”The idea of a full body-to-body naked massage with oil was far from unpleasing. For no reason that he could think of, his thoughts jumped to Robin, sitting outside in the car.” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]_

O(.)(.) Ch. 27, p.226 (Ingrid, the blonde masseuse): “The lycra and boots outlined every curve. Her erect nipples were clearly visible through the thin fabric.”

O(!) Ch. 27, p. 228 (Ingrid): “‘D’you want to try Brockbank’s number now?’ Robin asked, recalling Strike’s attention from the back view of Ingrid as she walked away.”

_[ed.: Strike lying to Elin, p. 248, so he can more easily claim this day as his own. Such a way with women, that Strike.]_

_[ed.: p.310 is the one where she takes Matt back, fucking BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!1!!!1!!!!!]_

R(?) Ch. 40, p. 329: “He could remember exactly what it felt like to have his arm around her waist as they had meandered toward Hazlitt’s Hotel. She was tall enough to hold easily. He did not like having to stoop. He had never fancied very small women.

 _Matthew would_ not _like this,_ she had said.

He would have liked it even less had he known how much Strike liked it.”

R(!) Ch. 40, p. 329: “Robin, as he could hardly fail to notice when she bent over to turn off her PC at the wall, was a very sexy girl…”

 _[ed.: “‘...What I don’t get,’ he added, after a short pause for reflection, ‘is_ her. _That was her chance. She could’ve left; I’d’ve got her to a refuge, I’d’ve seen her right. Why the fuck did she go back to him? Why do women do that?'_

_In the fractional hesitation before Robin replied, Strike realized that a certain personal interpretation could be put on these words._

_‘I suppose,’ began Robin, and simultaneously Strike said, ‘I didn’t mean--’_

_Both stopped._

_‘Sorry, go on,’ said Strike._

_‘I was only going to say that abused people cling to their abusers, don’t they? They’ve been brainwashed to believe there’s no alternative.’_

I was the bloody alternative, standing there, right in front of her!”

_Sniff… :’(_

_Later on p. 349: “Offhand, he could think of literally nothing he wanted to do less than watch Robin marry Matthew.”_

_Same! And that’s why you and I are both going to be forced to watch it, Strike. Because the worst has to happen or the story sucks._

_But I guess I_ can _think of something I’d be even less enthusiastic to watch: Robin watching Charlotte w/ Strike. JKR knows what you have to do...]_

_[ed.: Tempest’s “ample chest” on p. 350 is pretty severely undercut by her being “pale, dumpy, and doughy, her small deep-set eyes like raisins in a bun” just before that. Speaking of which, JKR really has it in for fat women.]_

_[ed.: the strippers mentioned on p. 367 and the top of 368 do not seem to move the needle for Strike. Strip clubs_ are _pretty seedy, so I empathize.]_

O(.)(.) Ch. 45, p. 368 (Orla, a stripper at the club where Brockbank worked): “Strike paid an exorbitant amount for a vodka and lime, which she sipped primly on a seat beside him, most of her breasts hanging out of the dress. The texture of her skin reminded him of the murdered Kelsey: smooth and firm, with plenty of youthful fat.”

_[ed.: p.446--“He supposed that there would be sex too, in the pristine whiteness of Elin’s flat, the soon-to-be-vacated home of her disintegrating family. On the minus side--he found himself staring the bald fact in the face as he had never done before--he would have to talk to her, and talking to Elin, he had finally admitted to himself, was far from one of his favorite pastimes.” Hmph.]_

E(?) Ch. 55, p. 447: “She looked stunning in a pale blue form-fitting dress.”

_[ed.: “He did not stay to see how she took it; he did not care.” Exit Elin.]_

Tallies!

CoE only:

O(.)(.): 3  
R(?): 2  
E(?): 2  
R(!): 1  
O(!): 1

Charlotte a distinct non-presence in this book, but so is sexuality in the book in general, perhaps understandable in a book about a serial killer and rape.

By woman:

O: 4  
R: 3  
E: 2

By body part:

(?): 4  
(.)(.): 3  
(!): 2

Across all three books so far!

R(?): 11 (I think a couple of these are fairly obviously references to boobs, but whatever.)  
CP(?): 9  
C(?): 5  
O(?): 5  
O(.)(.): 4  
CP(.)(.): 3  
O(!): 3  
R(!): 2  
E(?): 2  
R(.)(.): 1  
C(.)(.): 1  
N(?): 1

By woman:  
R: 14  
CP: 12  
O: 12  
C: 6  
E: 2  
N: 1  


By body part (after I’ve finished, I may break the (?) category down into individualized body parts):  
(?): 33 (again, I feel like a couple of these are boobs)  
(.)(.): 9  
(!): 5

Oh, and Charlotte was a "virus" again in this book, though not specifically mentioned as in his blood.

See you next time for the winding path to the most potent hug ever, our heroes’ eventual reconciliation, Robin’s divorce, and the end of what we know so far (until Tuesday!) in LW.


	4. Lethal White

R(?): Prologue, p. 23: “...he saw Matthew move closer to Robin, saw his hand tighten on her narrow waist…”

R(?): Prologue, p. 25: “The feel of her was both new and familiar…”

_[ed.: Okay, I didn’t cry nearly as much as I did earlier during The Silkworm re-read, but I still cried at The Hug, and that is just ridiculous given how many times I’ve read this part. It does help to have just (mostly) read all 1400 fucking pages of buildup to it. It’s a gorgeous moment and despite the way things turn sour so quickly afterward, it’s a foothold forever, a moment of glory to hang on to until the big one eventually comes, and it’s also a promise that the big one will eventually come. (Book 6? 7? 8?!) God damn it, you are really good at this job, JKR. Also, did anyone else’s heart, like, stop when they hit “ONE YEAR LATER” the first time?]_

O(?) Ch. 1, p. 32 (Coco, Destroyer of Dreams): “She was a small, lithe, very pretty girl…”

_[ed.: Coco’s “Cormy-Warmy” (p. 50) is remarkably similar to Lavender’s “Won-Won” in HP6, as are Robin’s and Hermione’s respective disgust.]_

_[ed.: Tom Turvey gross about Robin’s arse, p. 80. Has that happened before, someone being gross about her arse? Definitely remember two dudes gross about her boobs as mentioned for CoE.]_

R(?) Ch. 7, p. 82: “...he appraised her figure in the clinging gray dress. She certainly didn’t appear to be pregnant…”

R(?) Ch. 7, p. 84: “...Strike remembering how Robin’s figure had looked in the gray dress.”

_[ed.: “‘Nothing,’ lied Strike, and because it was preferable to talking, he slid an arm around her [Lorelei], pulled her close and kissed her.” Off to a roaring start. It took until p. 446 of CoE for Strike to admit that sex was the main driver with Elin and the talking not so good. Of course, he’s been in this relationship with Lorelei a lot longer.]_

_[ed.: First mention of Robin’s “great curiosity” (read: jealousy) about Charlotte in LW on p. 88.]_

_[ed.: on p. 94, Strike goes to Pratt’s and encounters a “petite, motherly woman” with a “prominent bust”. However, since her bust and her “bright-eyed mien put him in mind of a robin [haha] or a wren”, I don’t think it’s a particularly sexual feeling.]_

R(.)(.) Ch. 10, p. 107: “The thin cotton dress was sticking to her everywhere: Strike kept his gaze resolutely on her eyes.” [ _ed.: This is the first direct mention of Strike's attraction to Robin's boobs since the start of CC.]_

R(.)(.) Ch. 10, p. 108: “She didn’t notice Strike’s involuntary glance down her figure as she continued…” _[ed.: Making up for lost time, obviously. :D ]_

_[ed.: p. 115-116, at least Strike has made his terms clear from the outset with Lorelei, though it’s still a bit sad/unfair that he is intentionally using her as his personal Robin-buffer.]_

L(?) Ch. 11, p. 116: “Lorelei liked to dress up. To bed that night, she wore stockings and a black corset. She had the talent, by no means usual, of staging an erotic scene without tipping into parody.” 

_[ed.: p. 116--”...thoughts of Robin and Matthew were sometimes driven entirely from his mind” by Lorelei and her abilities in bed. Yeah, I feel ya, buddy.]_

_[ed.: Geraint Winn a creep about Robin’s breasts on p. 137, again on p. 138.]_

_[ed.: I cannot blame Strike too much for pp. 208-209 where he does not love Lorelei, especially given that “You could try not accepting tea and blow jobs” comes from his own mind’s “female inquisitor”. Probably the only crimes he really commits with Lorelei are making it evident he loves Robin and not her, and letting it go on too long when he should have cut her loose not long after “I love you”._

_[ed.: Oh, I just love Robin humming as she thinks about Strike’s compliment about her to Chiswell, p. 222, not to mention waiting for Strike to contact her on the phone and getting excited at receiving a text, “but it was only Matthew.”, p.218. Eat it, Cunliffe!]_

_[ed.: Oh, that hospital scene is so good, cry #3 and final on the series re-read.]_

_[ed.: Poor Robin! Winn so skeezy on pp. 247-248.]_

R(?) Ch. 28, p. 256: “In one part of his brain, he registered that Robin was wearing the green dress he had bought her two years ago, as a thank you for helping him catch their first killer. She looked stunning.” 

R(?) Ch. 32, p. 269: “‘Nice dress, by the way.’” 

C(?) Ch. 33, p. 272: “She was heavily pregnant. Her condition had not touched her anywhere but the swollen belly. She was as fine-boned as ever in face and limbs. Less adorned than any other woman in the room, she was easily the most beautiful.” 

_[ed.: Robin jealous of Charlotte, pp. 278-279, again on 280, is relieved he didn’t sleep with Charlotte even in the face of Chiswell’s corpse on p. 285. I really am curious about Book 5 given all the references to Robin’s feelings about her. I really hope they meet and talk, her and Charlotte. The tension would be magnificent.]_

_[ed.: Strike knows on p. 301 that he and Lorelei are over, and it’s only a matter of him doing what needs to be done or waiting it out only to cause “more mess and pain”. Self-aware anyway.]_

L(?) Ch. 41, p. 333: “...Lorelei had cooked, and was looking particularly lovely in a silky sapphire blue dress that resembled nightwear…” 

L(?) Ch. 41, p. 333: “...Lorelei emerged from the dark bedroom, sleep tousled, sad and desirable in a short kimono.” 

_[ed.: As Strike is leaving Lorelei’s after trying to sneak out and mentioning to Lorelei he’s meeting Robin: “He thought he caught a sob as he reached the front door, but by making a noisy business of opening it, he could credibly claim not to have heard.” Up to now, I feel like you could have an argument for Strike’s behavior, but here it starts to tip over into callousness again.]_

R(?) Ch. 41, p. 339: “...as he held her on the stairs at her wedding and he felt her mouth beneath his in the fug of a hospital car park.” 

_[ed.: p. 412, Robin sees the “hot meal and a shag”, “restaurants and brothels” text from Lorelei. Ooooof.]_

_[ed.: One can see the logic in Strike’s POV regarding his parting with Lorelei on pp. 418-419, but if it would have made her feel better to meet up, he should have. Callous keeps being the word: “showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others” says the dictionary.]_

_[ed.: Linda: “Where are you staying? With Strike?” Robin: “Of course I’m not staying with Strike, why on earth would I be --?” HAHAHAHAHA!]_

_[ed.: Poor Robin! Winn so awful to her on the phone, pp. 538-539. But at least they really talk to each other after that. It reminds me of their talk on the way back to London from Devon in The Silkworm, in that they’re essentially honest with each other, no hidden agendas.]_

_[ed.: Kinvara’s “canyon of cleavage” on p. 593 does not seem specific to Strike’s POV or necessarily sexual.]_

_[ed.: This 308 page gap from p. 339 to end of book is the longest so far for mentions of body related sexuality.]_

Tallies! 

Lethal White only: 

R(?): 7  
L(?): 3  
R(.)(.): 2  
C(?): 1  
O(?): 1 

By woman: 

R: 9  
L: 3  
C: 1  
O: 1 

By body part: 

(?): 12  
(.)(.): 2 

Across all four books so far! (A total of 61 references caught by me, please let me know anything I've missed.) 

R(?): 18 (I think a couple of these are fairly obviously references to boobs, but whatever.)  
CP(?): 9  
C(?): 6  
O(?): 6  
O(.)(.): 4  
R(.)(.): 3  
CP(.)(.): 3  
L(?): 3  
O(!): 3  
R(!): 2  
E(?): 2  
C(.)(.): 1  
N(?): 1 

By woman:  
R: 23  
O: 13  
CP: 12  
C: 7  
L: 3  
E: 2  
N: 1 

I like how neatly N, E, L proceed sequentially upward! 

By body part:  
(?): 45 (again, I feel like a couple of these are boobs)  
(.)(.): 11  
(!): 5 

I think the winner here is pretty clearly tits over arse, especially since some of those (?)'s are so close to (.)(.). But what about if we break down the body parts further? 

Whole body/unclear: 34  
Boobs: 11  
Arse: 5  
Legs: 5  
Hands/fingers: 2  
Neck: 2  
Arm: 1  
Waist: 1 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that! If I pursue this project into TB (oh please let Strike not be a complete jackass RE: Charlotte/Robin, I'm really hoping we sidestep the whole Charlotte thing!), I'll wait some time to update for the sake of spoilers and all that. Maybe after the new year.


	5. Troubled Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I’m here again if any of ya missed me! I missed you!
> 
> Public service announcement: HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!
> 
> I finally read this thing a few months later. I halted twice around page 220 (the Irene/Janice interview) for a couple of months each time, started over again after the first stall, decided to just continue from where I’d left off after the second stall. From about p. 39 to 242, I was not enthralled, but then I read the thing in a few days after that, mostly quite enjoyable. Now I can read people’s fics again!

_[ed.: Wow! By p. 38, already got so much information I desired. Strike ain’t with anyone romantically. He’s willing to admit aloud that he has/had (had, haha) an interest in Robin to Dave Polworth! Robin admits to herself (and maybe Matthew at the pizza place?) she didn’t commit to the marriage and prioritized her job over Matthew! Robin is nettled by Charlotte (who sometimes is “Charlotte Campbell” even in the privacy of Robin’s head), and her amused/derisive phone call! Leda’s conduct comes off a lot worse than it ever has before! Joan and Ted are far from perfect! (though obviously they are good people) Strike likes, talks to, and goes on outings with Jack, but thinks his other two nephews are jackasses! Yikes, he bashed his sister’s kids to her face in the midst of her grief over Joan! I’d call that last another indication of his callousness, though I did really enjoy him saying it to her all the same. I still think he should treat her with kid gloves because although she’s performing a little and aggravatingly assuming things about Strike, her grief over Joan is legitimate.]_

_[ed.: As someone who espoused, before reading this book, that Strike’s thoughtless, callous conduct needs to improve for him to be worthy of Robin, allow me to celebrate Robin’s ire at him not wishing her a happy birthday, p.92, and his subsequent failure to get her a thoughtful gift. Also, I am enjoying “Ilsa the clumsy, ineffective matchmaker”. Also, holy shit, Robin is 29 and they’ve been working together 3.5 years if I’m to believe The Cuckoo’s Calling timeline on Strikefans.com.]_

O(?) Part 2, Ch. 14, p.151 (a random blonde on Hallowe’en): “Robin noticed Strike casting an automatic eye over a young blonde in a rubber nurse’s uniform.” _[ed.: If my eye is correct, it has been 459 pages since Strike thought about a woman’s body--in the middle of LW, thinking about holding Robin at her wedding and semi-kissing her in the car park--or about the length of a pre-LW Strike novel. Strike has had sexual thoughts about Lorelei in the meanwhile during this early part of TB, but not specifically her body.]_

C(?) Part 2, Ch. 21, p. 234: “...holding two cups of coffee, stark naked and more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen.”

_[ed.: Oof, their almost back to back intimate thoughts on their former partners (p. 234, 238). Nicely done, JKR. “How many hundreds of nights had they lain entwined like Siamese twins, whispering confidences and sharing laughter in the dark?” is particularly sharp.]_

R(.)(.) Part 2, Ch. 22, p. 244: “Nor was Strike unconscious of Robin’s good looks: indeed, he’d been fully aware of them ever since she’d taken off her coat in his office for the first time.” _[ed.: Strike addressed her motherfucking hairline. This part also bolsters my decision to interpret “good-looking” in Silkworm as “not just face”, since “good looks” apparently encompasses boobs (I feel like in the USA “good looks” or “good-looking” might generally imply facial beauty?).]_

R(!) Part 2, Ch. 22, p. 245: “...the habit he’d developed of looking determinedly away when she bent over a desk.” _[ed.: Strike would like some from column A and some from column B, please.]_

C(?) Part 2, Ch. 22, p. 250: “Against his will, Strike stared at the body no sentient heterosexual man could fail to desire, and at the face Venus would envy.”

_[ed.: I think it’s interesting that Strike almost never thinks about Charlotte’s tits or arse in the specific. It’s usually her whole body/unspecified except for a bit of cleavage on the flashback to their first meeting in CC. Robin, by comparison, gets a more raw, immediate response to her naughty bits. Like, let’s see: 1 out of 9 bodily sexual references about Charlotte through this point are about T/A (her neck gets a couple in Silkworm). 7/25 for Robin are T/A. 11% vs 28%. Robin’s numbers are (obviously) even higher if you count a couple of those R(?) as R(.)(.) as well.]_

_[ed.: “‘“You’ll never have children.” Just like that. Straight out.’_

_‘Well, she got that wrong, didn’t she?’”_

_Sobbing. You are really good at this job, JKR--series cry #4, increased in intensity by the following paragraph filled with Strike’s regrets.]_

_[ed.: I know you’ll have to take my word for it if I turn out to be right, but I’ll say now that I think Oonagh did it, and I’ll keep this here even if I’m wrong. Something about abortion and religion? Were Oonagh and Margot the two women someone thought they saw struggling? I predicted whodunnit correctly in CC and Silkworm, didn’t care who did it in CoE, and was utterly, fantastically wrong in LW (I thought no way Raphael did it, thought it might be one of Izzy’s siblings, maybe?), so I’m trying to go 3 for 4 here on the ones where I tried. Book is humming along a lot better than the first quarter for me, and I think it’s generally better than Lethal White (I thought the mystery in that was kind of a sprawling mess), though I’m still much more here for the romance than the mystery.]_

_[ed.: “‘For an actual rape victim!’”_

_Me: *literally gasps out loud and gets goosebumps* “Ohhhhhh, noooooooooo…”]_

_[ed.: ”’Calling to apologize.’”_

_Crying again. #5, joining LW as one that made me cry twice (CC: 0, Silkworm: 1, CoE: 0). Can you get 3, TB?_

_Also: “Somehow the texts from Charlotte had made him realize he had to call Robin, had to make things right with her before he set off for Cornwall and Joan.”_

_Gee, Strike, why might a text from your EX-FIANCEE make you realize you need to be okay with your PARTNER before you leave?]_

_[ed.: “...a thrill of excitement and happiness passed through her...Waves of shame were crashing over her...she’d been avoiding the question of what she really felt about Strike...But he was her best friend...She admired his brains...was often astonished by his almost total lack of self-pity...Strike had never once made her feel physically uncomfortable...had he, or had he not, called Charlotte Campbell back?...Best not to dwell on that hug, on how like home it had felt…”_

_It’s been a fucking long-ass time coming (something in the neighborhood of 2600-2700 pages!), but it’s very gratifying to read Robin yielding to sense and recognizing her own inclinations.]_

O(?) Part 5, Ch. 52, p. 629 (“Miss Jones”): “She was undeniably beautiful, with long legs, full lips and skin of expensive smoothness.”

O(?) Part 5, Ch. 52, p. 629 (“Miss Jones”): “Miss Jones had crossed and re-crossed her long legs…”

_[ed.: “‘I’ll never forget...how you were, when I really needed you. Whatever else...I’ll never forget that part.’_

_...he’d hugged her quickly, then let go as though she was red hot._

_‘G’luck, Robs,' he said thickly, and walked away for good.”_

_I am pretty surprised and pleased with this farewell to the character. To see Robin’s grace rewarded with an amicable parting...it’s what she deserves, and better than he deserves. I’m glad JKR at least tries to make Matthew human sometimes. Robin obviously didn’t mean it this way, but it’s a pretty backhanded compliment: “I’ll remember the one truly kind and decent thing you did for me a decade ago...even if most of what’s happened since isn’t worth remembering.”_

_Also, Charlotte is a manipulative--if occasionally pitiable--monster, but we knew that.]_

R(.)(.) Part 5, Ch. 58, p. 725: “How could he say, look, I’ve tried not to fancy you since you first took off your coat in this office.” _[ed.: #NeverForgetTheBejumperedBoobies #BoyDoIUnderstand #KeepYourEyesOnThatHairlineStrike]_

_[ed.: It goes without saying, but this chapter is shipping porn, y’all. Can I tell you how happy I am that it’s a confession-filled, alcohol-soaked, dangerous conversation in fading light with the lights off in the office? Why am I extra happy about that? Because the first chapter in my “Struck” is a pale echo of the real thing!_

_I misted up but did not cry at this:_

_“...asking himself for the first time whether determined solitude was what he really wanted, for evermore.”_

_He really is demonstrating some solid growth in this book, it’s great._

_Some excellent, evocative language choices: “fatalistic daring of a trapeze artist, swinging out into the spotlight, only black air beneath him…”, “all antennae now”._

_Openly acknowledged mutual best mates. God damn. It’s beautiful.]_

R(?) Part 6, Ch. 63, p. 777: “...Strike, whose attention had just been caught by the figure-hugging blue dress Robin was wearing.”

_[ed.: okay, I’m really starting to doubt it was Oonagh now, just because she hasn’t come up much/been interviewed again. But I ain’t got no other thoughts as yet. Janice a distant second, maybe.]_

R(?) Part 6, Ch. 63, p. 779: “He glanced at her, then, frowning, looked away. She was looking particularly sexy in that blue dress, which he’d never seen before.”

_[ed.: look, I’m sighing through the romance on p. 814, but it’s not happening this book, you can feel it, wonder how the delay will be justified, they’re so open with one another…but Charlotte is looming in the background like fucking Jaws.]_

_[ed.: fucking shit, my distant second horse is the culprit...at least she was on my radar.]_

_[ed.: “‘“Shaggable You”’”. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]_

_[ed.: “‘Yeah, well...People can change.’” Yeah, Strike, good for you. And Robin, too.]_

_[ed.: Well, I am very glad this book was not the horror show I thought it might be! One is still nervous about Book Six, though, isn’t one? It feels to me like a stay of execution on the Charlotte business, and she's splitting with Jago, but we will see. Maybe he actually has changed...]_

Tallies!

Troubled Blood only:

O(?): 3  
R(?): 2  
R(.)(.): 2  
C(?): 2  
R(!): 1

By woman:

R: 5  
O: 3  
C: 2

By body part:

(?): 7  
(.)(.): 2  
(!): 1

Across all five books so far! (A total of 71 references caught by me, please let me know anything I've missed.)

R(?): 20 (I think a couple of these are fairly obviously references to boobs, but whatever.)  
CP(?): 9  
O(?): 9  
C(?): 8  
R(.)(.): 5 (it's good to see Robin take over the boobs lead from "Other")  
O(.)(.): 4  
CP(.)(.): 3  
L(?): 3  
O(!): 3  
R(!): 3  
E(?): 2  
C(.)(.): 1  
N(?): 1

By woman:  
R: 28  
O: 16  
CP: 12  
C: 9 (hasn't quite caught Ciara yet!)  
L: 3  
E: 2  
N: 1

By body part:  
(?): 52 (again, I feel like a couple of these are boobs)  
(.)(.): 13  
(!): 6

The winner and still champion! More categorizing fun:

Whole body/unclear: 39  
Boobs: 13  
Legs: 7 (moves past arse on the tally list)  
Arse: 6  
Hands/fingers: 2  
Neck: 2  
Arm: 1  
Waist: 1


End file.
